A Serendipitous Sign
I’m Leah Cantwell, a Sales Coordinator at Brand Fuel and I’ve decided to share a personal reflection after a very interesting morning…
In the process of earning my Trained Advertising Specialist (TAS) certification through PPAI – Promotional Products Association International, I started with the video, “TAS101, Intro to Promotional Products.” Brand Fuel friend and PPAI Professional Development Lead, Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, MBA, CAS, touched on the history of corporate promotional products.
In this lesson, we got in the wayback machine to 1878, where I learned that Jasper Fremont Meek, a printing press operator, saw a student drop their books while walking to school. This sparked his idea to brand a burlap bag with a local company’s logo – Cantwell’s Fine Shoes. This became the very first piece of corporate logo merchandise!
Here’s where it gets personal. As you can see, my last name is Cantwell! It felt like a sign, a reminder that sometimes the universe communicates in ways we least expect...
It had been only a year earlier when I took a leap of faith and moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, questioning my career path along the way. In a moment of vulnerability, I asked my late grandparents to send me a sign for guidance. It may have taken a bit, but discovering this piece of Cantwell promo history feels like the reassurance I’ve been seeking.
Life’s journey can be uncertain, but moments like these remind me to trust the process, stay the course, and have faith in myself. If you’re feeling lost or in need of direction, remember that signs can come when you least expect them. I’m incredibly grateful to have found my career with Brand Fuel, and look forward to continuing to educate others on the importance of using branded merchandise as a tool that can elevate their brand’s message!